CHRONOLOGY

DAY 1: Sunday, April 1:

A U.S. Navy EP-3E surveillance plane with a 21-man, 3-woman crewcollides with a Chinese fighter jet sent to intercept it over theSouth China Sea, well outside China's 12-mile territorial sea andairspace. It makes an emergency landing at a military airfield onChinas Hainan island.

China says the plane's crew members are safe but reports theChinese fighter crashed and its pilot is missing. Beijing blames theU.S. aircraft for the collision.

DAY 2: Monday, April 2:

U.S. diplomats leave for Hainan hoping to meet with U.S. crewmembers.

President Bush urges China to release the aircraft and let U.S.diplomats meet crew members.

DAY 3: Tuesday, April 3:

Bush says China must release crew and plane. Secretary of StateColin Powell says crew is detained by China and that the UnitedStates has nothing to apologize for. U.S. diplomats meet with crewmembers and report they are fine.

DAY 4: Wednesday, April 4:

Chinese President Jiang Zemin demands a U.S. apology.

The Bush administration offers regrets but no apology.

DAY 5: Thursday, April 5:

China says the U.S. crew members broke international law and willbe kept for questioning.

DAY 6: Friday, April 6:

U.S. diplomats see crew members. Powell says they are in ``goodhealth'' and ``high spirits'' and that diplomats may get to meet withthem regularly.

DAY 7: Saturday, April 7

China's top foreign affairs official writes Powell to saystatements of regret are inadequate and demand an apology. U.S. sidesays its position is unchanged.

DAY 8: Sunday, April 8

Talks continue on freeing crew. Bush sends letter expressingcondolences to wife of missing Chinese fighter pilot.

DAY 9: Monday, April 9

Bush cautions that ``diplomacy takes time'' but warns China thatrelations could suffer if it doesn't release the crew.

DAY 10: Tuesday, April 10

China says Powell's expression of regret is a step in the rightdirection., DAY 11: Wednesday, April 11

United States and China reach agreement for crew's release.